President Obama directs his Cabinet to look into gun control.
A national sporting goods chain is suspending sales of certain firearms.
Pres. Obama makes a counteroffer to avert automatic spending cuts.
A legislative aide in Alaska takes her campaign against sharia law too far.
The electoral college met in each state yesterday. Here's what some of Arizona's electors did with their time.
A fitting ending for NASA's moon probes.
And the best news of the day: NBC's Richard Engel has been freed after 5 days in captivity in Syria.
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There were 5 health workers shot dead in Pakistan, allegedly by Taliban fighters, for distributing the Polio vaccine to children. Apparently, the Taliban believes the vaccination program is a United Nations plot to spy on Pakistan and to sterilize all children.
I guess we're not the only nation with UN conspiracy theories...
"
It was a reality that mimicked a horror film: Guatemalan prisoners coerced to have sex with prostitutes who were infected with syphilis. Prostitutes who were healthy smeared with the bacteria. Mentally ill inmates inoculated with syphilis.
It was not a deadly biowar experiment, but an American-backed attempt to test whether newly discovered penicillin could prevent the sexually transmitted disease. And it took place in deeply impoverished Guatemala between 1946 and 1948 without the consent of the experiment’s 696 victims.
On Friday, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Health Secretary Kathleen Sebelius issued a startling apology to Guatemala, saying that “although these events occurred more than 64 years ago, we are outraged that such reprehensible research could have occurred under the guise of public health.”--Olivia Ward
America has a history. No wonder people don't trust us...
People don't trust us? How could you say that?
Is it because OUR Veterans Administration, the WWII, Korea, and VietNam Era precursor to the post-draft Dept. of Veterans Affairs, experimented with LSD in much the same way you describe and used OUR veterans as unwitting lab rats.
Naw. That CAN'T be it.
Lest we forget what we have done to our own people.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuskegee_syphilis_experiment
So glad to hear that Richard is safe.
Richard Engel. Always amazing reporting in the most dangerous places of the world with calm and clarity. So glad that he is safe!!
Thank you Dicks Sporting Goods for doing the right thing, I will be purchasing all my outdoor hunting and fishing gear from you now..
I could not agree more with Tony's comment.
Andrew Sorkin wrote a very interesting article in today's NYT about private equity firms and their relationship with the gun industry. I didn't think I could get more disgusted with Wall Street, but on reflection, I realize I shouldn't be surprised. I really don't know how Stephen Feinberg sleeps at night.
http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2012/12/17/wall-street-invested-in-firearms-is-unlikely-to-push-for-reform/?ref=business
Wall street invests in the tools of war. Ammunition, like printer ink, is a PERFECT Capitalist product.
Why do you think we are always shown machine guns firing on full automatic?
To get people who realize what they are seeing to invest in their manufacturers and to buy their civilian products.
Hello Rachel. I decided to augment your research and commentary on this issue. The political demagoguery, and even the "valued" opinion of the "experts" are missing an essential point. It has been found that the shooter in this case suffered from the condition of autism. Yet no discussion is made about the alarming increase of, and role in, by that developmental health issue. Why? The latest figures show that one in fifty-four males now suffer from some form of autism. In the USA we are producing these defective people by the millions now. The leopard cannot change its spots; neither can the greatest of the great apes. The "experts" got us into this mess. The "expert opinions" are the blind leading the blind. You can thank me later;)
A lot of the increase in autism numbers is the broadening of the definition. My mother, sister, daughter, first husband, and cousin all have Asperger Syndrome, which is a mild form of autism. None of them is likely to kill anyone.
There have always been defective people. Used to be, they were abandoned to die, sold into slavery, stoned to death, or committed to an institution (depending on the culture). Here and now, they either have wealthy family and medication, or a frightened family and (eventually) a jail sentence.
We need universal health care that includes early detection, treatment, training, and humane confinement as needed.
It is extremely offensive to refer to autistic people, or people with any disability, as defective.
Why can't guns have mandatory liability insurance? Insurance companies seem quite adept at finding "pre-existing conditions" in pricing their policies and would certainly welcome a new means of income. We must insure our cars and our rates are determined by our drive g records, so why would this not work for guns? This does not deny weapon owner's of their right to own...just provides a process where responsibility and cost become more of a consideration for those who choose to take advantage of that right. Just a thought....
BRILLIANT!
(of course that is why it won't work- no money to be made, except by the dreaded "trial lawyers".)
More than just a thought- a well reasoned proposal, that even the GOTP should like, because it channels money towards large insurance conglomerates.
A very interesting idea, to say the least, though you would still have to close the loopholes in firearms sales (gun shows in particular) to get 100% compliance with such a law.
In this particular case though, trigger locks and a firearms safe would have been a lot more useful. I notice with great disdain not one on either side of the gun control issue has bothered to mention such an obvious solution.
If I was a member of the Taliban I can imagine how I could become convinced that the United Nations was a sneaky organization and out to get me. IT is ill logical and stupid but I belong to a backward unsophisticated organization.
On the other hand if I am a member of the United States Senate and my Country is one of the original founding members with veto power I have a very hard time finding any way for irrational fear to be able to cause the the debacle we witnessed. Are we not the United States!
How about a story of gun control success?
Australia had a mass murder in 1996 (35 dead) and sweeping gun control laws were put in place
The results:
(Source: Sacramento Bee) State capital of a deep blue state with Dem supermajority in the legislature, and a Dem pro gun control governor.
Right on target, John, and nobody can say that the Aussies aren't as crazy as we are. The difference may be that, because they started out as a penal colony, of an empire that ravaged indigenous peoples without hesitation, they didn't have a Second Amendment, or any other doctrine that was as cryptic.
I just heard Congressman Jason Chaffetz of Utah speaking and I noticed that he's saying some of the same things that a number of people have been saying on these blogs in the past few days:
it's all about I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I! "I own assault rifles and I don't shoot anybody so everyone should be able to have assault rifles, because if you ban assault rifles, I lose my assault rifle. I don't care how many people die as long as I get to keep my precious gun!"
What kind of society have we become that we can't give up A THING to save the lives of other people??? Chaffetz and others could keep other types of guns - what is it about assault rifles that has them so SELFISH???
Yea, he was full of the lame excuses like: "We should keep guns out of the hands of the mentally ill, blah, blah, blah." Shoulda woulda coulda! That is just a BS "platitude" that has never accomplished anything and never will! It is what it always has been - just phony words to cover a BAD MORAL position!
I just don't understand this "love" of automatic and semi-automatic weaponry! These are just tools used by the military. Do these guys also "love" their other tools, like hammers and snow shovels? Makes me wonder what is missing in their moral makeup!
Its all about fear. You fear what you can't control. In an attempt to allay your fear you try to control what you fear. The problem is if what you fear comes back you're still afraid. To oversome fear you need to establish trust. Trust ultimately is based upon love. if you think someone loves you they probably aren't going to kill you. Now the guys who "love" thier assault rifles I'm sure they think those close to them love them but they ain't taking any chances with the rest of us.
www.facebook.com/evilisthedenialoflove
As recently as last Thursday,Republicans wanted to cut spending on entitlements and giveaways like health care for the mentally ill. Now they're embracing access to psychiatric health care, but only to deflect discussion away from gun control. onceareublican and Scott B. Kerrick are on to something.
There are 87 House members and 12 Senate members that contribute between $3,500- $9,000 to the NRA. These voices need to be heard.
I have long been a gun rights supporter believing the old worn out bumper sticker slogan"If gun are outlawed only outlaws will have guns" and believed the same applied to fully/semi automatic weapons as well. And where I don't believe any new gun control laws will ever change that redneck logic, recent events have turned me... for what its worth, for me any way, here is what did it. It was pointed out that I use in my support of legalizing marijuana the difference in laws in other countries compared to ours and consider that to be a valid argument. Being that the case, why would I not consider other countries gun restriction laws compared to ours to be valid.Being from Montana makes it a bit harder to change ones mind about the gun issue, but there you have it.I vocally support banning all fully/semi automatic weapons from sale in the U.S. Was that so hard?NO, not really.
I like the idea of insurance. A federal program that sets rates and collects premiums. If you want to own a gun you have to buy the insurance, just like a car, simple.
Every single day, the NEWS MEDIA should report on how many gun related deaths happened across America on that particular day, what ever that number may be.Every day of inaction more people die, how long will we let this go on?
I don't think having insurance is a good idea. It sort of absolves the gun owner of responsibility if something goes wrong. I think if a person owns a gun, they must take full responsibility if a person is injured or killed.
I heard on a report about Lanza's mother that she owned a lot of guns, that she was an adamant survivalist - which might explain why Adam was as exposed to guns as he was. They want to be prepared for Armegeddon or something but there is no need for anyone in this country to have assault rifles. There just isn't.
I don't understand why you believe an owner's responsibility would be absolved with insurance. In fact, Mrs. Lanza would probably have been denied coverage if an insurance company investigated the home situation and believed her weapons were not secured or family members were seen to be a risk... But of course in that particular case, I believe a lot was hidden from the naked eye what really was going on. Still, like car insurance, rates are determined by experience of user and model of vehicle and safety features, etc. So why would this absolve gun owner's of responsibility...wouldn't it in fact push for more responsibility?
to paraphrase a line from blowin in the wind " How many deaths will it take till we know that too many people have died" I'd say 27.
NBC needs to bring Richard Engle home...close call this time...he is way too valuable and we don't want to lose him...
I agree, but I think Engle is a dedicated pro and will dive back in if they let him. It is a huge under reported war and Middle East politics could take a nasty turn if the wrong people take power in Syria. I just fear Engle may come to think he is indestructible.
Gun regulation, yes. But more importantly, universal mental health care, including secure facilities for the dangerous. And, while we're at it, more respect & pay for public school teachers & administrators: http://educatefortexas.wordpress.com/2012/12/17/an-open-letter-from-a-pta-mom-to-mike-huckabee-a-message-for-those-who-long-for-gods-presence-in-schools
If Rachel does another story on Dan Inouye's successor, the pronunciation is EE- Nou- Ay. Here are a few local news folks pronouncing the name (video)
DC people pronounce it weird. First syllable: The "I" often misprounced as a soft i "ih" like bit, but it's a Japanese I- a long E sound like in bean. Second is often done as a long O but isn't. It may sound like the locals are saying "new" which is what you should try to approximate. To be most faithful, it is atually a rapid sliding vowel from a long O to an long U sound. The last syllable is often mispronounced "Way", but there is no w sound- just long A- "AY. For Japanese community people, you will hear the more accurate subtle pronunciation of the y, but it is so quiet, that the differences are almost invisible to a non native speaker. Civilians shouldn't even try it. Just say AY.
For what it's worth, here's my back porch opinion on the struggle. I have read some dumb non hawaiian chatter about the appointment to take Dan's place. Hanabusa is the clear favorite and is a solid progressive with an even better record than Hirono's. She told me she would fight for Dan's seat if it became vacant, and I would back her as best I can. I personally suspect Governor Abercrombie wants it for himself and may try something slimey- like name a placeholder candidate he thinks he can more easily beat than Hanabusa. Such a placeholder would be Brian Schatz- who is a great guy, but Hanabusa has the legislative acumen for the job as demonstrated in her quick rise to state senate leader. Inouye recommended Hanabusa for his replacement, and hopefully Abercrombie will do the right thing. If he names Schatz, the press will smell ulterior motives and the governor's unfairly damaged reputation (he has been in some tough labor negotiations with state workers), will only plummet further.
My concerns may be machiavellian paranoia, but I am protective of Hanabusa. Most understand that once she has this seat, it would take nuclear weapons to pry it from her- So if anyone wants to try anything, now would be the moment of highest uncertainty.
The conventional wisdom is that it would be super tough not to honor Inouye's wishes for replacement until special election in 2014. (rollcall) There is virtually no chance Case will be nominated (whoever wrote the Politico article listing him or Hanneman was nuts because they are far to the right of Abercrombie and would be more formidable opponents if Abercrombie wanted the seat. So they don't make any sense whichever Abercrombie's intentions are.
Anyway, I hope RM gets to have a long chat sometime with Hanabusa. She is not especially simple to read, but she has a great heart.
They can't give up their assault rifles because that's where they keep their manhood.
I am so relieved that Richard is free and safe. I learn more from him about world affairs than anyone else, and when I heard he'd been captured, I was worried sick. I hope that he chronicles his time in Syria (both in captivity and what's lead up to it) in a new book. His previous books were incredible.
Now, I hope they can get him a shower and a bed to sleep in!
I'f like to see this viewpoint get a little airtime, but I bet it won't.
from TIme July 24.2012
"We’ve been down this path so many times, yet we keep missing the elephant in the room: How many of the worst mass murderers in American history were women? None. This is not to suggest that women are never violent, and there are even the rare cases of female serial killers. But why aren’t we talking about the glaring reality that acts of mass murder (and, indeed, every single kind of violence) are overwhelmingly perpetrated by men? Pointing out that fact may seem politically incorrect or irrelevant, but our silence about the huge gender disparity of such violence may be costing lives."
Read more: http://ideas.time.com/2012/07/24/the-overwhelming-maleness-of-mass-homicide/#ixzz2FPrLmOX2
I've been reading about New Jersey tackling conversion therapy for minors. It absolutely needs to be banned and I hope Gov. Christie is sensible about this. http://www.advocate.com/politics/2012/12/17/new-jersey-lawmakers-move-tackle-conversion-therapy
thankful that Richard and crew are safe...
For anyone who tells you AIDS is a survivable, manageable disease, please remind them that Spencer’s choice was surely not to leave us at 44. And that our movement could have used his amazing voice for another 44 years, thank you very much. We are still losing people. People who really matter to our world, our movement, and our loved ones.
People are still dying. How much clearer can it be than losing Spencer Cox at 44?
http://my.firedoglake.com/teddysanfran/2012/12/18/goodbye-to-spencer-cox-aids-activist-dead-at-44